The pyloric sphincter, or valve, is a strong ring of smooth muscle at the end of the pyloric canal and lets food pass from the stomach to the duodenum. It receives sympathetic innervation from celiac ganglion.

Contents

One medical condition associated with the pylorus is pyloric stenosis.
In such conditions as stomach cancer, when tumours may partly block the pyloric canal, a special tube can be implanted surgically to connect the stomach to the duodenum to assist food to pass from one to the other. This tube is called a pyloric stent.